Imagine waiting for your treatment to stop working. For many people with advanced kidney cancer, that wait is short. This early study looked at a new drug called simlukafusp alfa combined with an immune checkpoint inhibitor called atezolizumab. Some patients also received bevacizumab, a drug that stops new blood vessels from feeding tumors. The goal was to find the right dose and see if this mix could keep cancer growing slower.
In this trial, 66 patients with clear cell or sarcomatoid kidney cancer received these treatments. Those on the three-drug mix saw their cancer stay under control for a median of 18.3 months. In contrast, those on just the two-drug mix lasted a median of 6.3 months. About half of the patients on the three-drug mix saw their tumors shrink, compared to a quarter on the two-drug mix.
Safety was monitored closely throughout the 11-month average treatment time. Two deaths occurred, linked to serious side effects like kidney injury or low blood cell counts. These are known risks with this type of therapy. The study team found the right dose and saw the immune system activating in the blood and attacking tumors in biopsies. However, because this was a small, early-phase study, these results need more testing before they change standard care.